Cross the Bridge - March 24, 2016

But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him."
NKJV

The simple fact is Jesus could have escaped at any time. As He was beaten, He could have stopped it. When the nails were piercing His hands, He could have defended Himself, but He didn't. In that moment, Christ chose you and I over His own well being. He knew He needed to make a payment for our sins, and so He remained on the cross. So call it what you will... an act of love, a plan of salvation or a martyr's sacrifice. But whatever you choose to call it, don't call it an accident. It was a lot of things, but it was anything but that. The cross was no accident, tragedy or conspiracy. It was a plan. And in a world of injustice, God once and for all tipped the scales in the favor of hope.

You see, God neither accepts our sin nor lowers the standard. Instead of ignoring our sin, He took it on Himself and sentenced Himself. God's righteousness is still maintained, our sin is punished and we are redeemed. What an incredible plan. God paid a debt He did not owe because we owed a debt that we could not pay. God did what we could not do so we can be what we could not dare dream--to stand perfect and forgiven before God. The victory is already won, our past can be pardoned and our future can be secure. Death is disarmed. Failures are forgivable. Life can have real purpose. Did He die on the cross for your sins? You my friend have to make that decision. He is the Savior of the world. The question is... is He your Savior?

Life Lesson: Lay your burdens down at the foot of the cross.

Dear Jesus,
I believe You died for me so that I could be forgiven. I believe You were raised from the dead so that I could have new life. I know I have done wrong things, and I'm sorry. Please forgive me and give me the power to follow You all the days of my life. Amen.